15-Year Friend Becomes Caregiver For Woman With Cerebral Palsy

 Julia Prendergast was 6 when she became a peer buddy for Tyme Fiedorczyk, who has cerebral palsy. Now adults, the two are best friends and Prendergast cares for Fiedorczyk full-time. Read More >

People With Disabilities Feel Left Behind Amid Caregiver Shortage

 Adults with developmental disabilities are being forced to move back home with their parents or into larger, congregate-care settings where their daily choices are often carefully controlled. Read More >

Disability Service Providers Face 'Unprecedented' Labor Shortage

 The pandemic has exacerbated an existing shortage of direct support professionals, forcing family caregivers to pick up the slack and some disability providers to close their doors. Read More >

Even In Adulthood, Autism Challenges Linger For Caregivers

 Aging caregivers of adults with autism are struggling and new research finds that some factors make the burden especially great.  Read More >

Pandemic Hitting Families Of Those With Disabilities Harder

 Family caregivers of people with disabilities are experiencing isolation, anxiety and other ill-effects from the coronavirus pandemic in far greater numbers than others, new research finds. Read More >

Pandemic Upends The Lives Of People With Disabilities — And Of Their Caregivers

Already facing a shortage of caregivers, the pandemic is further wreaking havoc on the lives of people with disabilities who rely on others in order to work and live independently. Read More >

Trump Administration Releases Aid For Disability Service Providers

Amid questions about delays, the Trump administration is sending billions of dollars in aid to disability providers and others funded by Medicaid who have been hard hit by the pandemic. Read More ;

Pandemic Making Child Care Tough To Find For Those With Special Needs

With most daycare centers closed, child care options are especially limited for kids with disabilities and the impact is likely to be long-lasting. Read More ;

Parents Of Those With Disabilities Seek Exception To COVID-19 No-Visitor Rules

As hospitals halt visitation to slow the spread of the coronavirus, parents in one state are worried that their children with intellectual disabilities could be left to fend for themselves. Read More >

Providers Want To Protect Clients With Disabilities. Nobody's Telling Them How.

Even in a state considered one of the best at serving people with intellectual disabilities, families and providers said they have received almost no guidance on how to respond to COVID-19. Read More >

Direct Care Workers Struggle To Find Protective Equipment

With supplies being gobbled up, disability providers are desperate for masks and other personal protective equipment to reduce the risk of coronavirus in group homes and other settings. Read More >

They Make $10.50 An Hour To Assist Those Most Susceptible To Infection

Many aides, their employers and the people they care for are struggling with whether they should continue working, whether they can afford not to and how their clients will get by without them. Read More >

As Caregivers Age, People With Disabilities See Few Housing Options

A national study finds housing choices are limited for people with developmental disabilities who often get little say about where they might live when they leave home. Read More >

App Matches Clients With Special Needs, Caregivers

With Uber, Airbnb and others changing the way people do business, a new app is designed to fill a gap in disability services by connecting families with experienced, vetted caregivers. Read More;

Unique Program Teaches People With Disabilities To Be Care Providers

A first-of-its-kind training program aims to provide career opportunities to people with disabilities while also addressing the shortage of direct support professionals. Read More >

Families Struggling To Find Care For Adults With Disabilities

Low wages for personal care attendants mean families are often unable to maintain the assistance they need leaving some people with disabilities no choice but to move into a nursing home. Read More ;

High Turnover, Stagnant Wages Plague Direct Support Professionals

Low pay is forcing some direct support professionals to find second and third jobs or leave the industry altogether and service providers are struggling to keep up with the turnover. Read More;

Concerns Linger Over Medicaid Caregiver Check-In Mandate

Advocates are pushing for clearer privacy protections as states work to comply with a requirement that personal care attendants electronically check in when assisting people with disabilities. Read More;

Caregiver Stressed By Low Wages, But Client Is 'Family'

For over 15 years, Juanita Bobo has provided the care Amber Radune needs to remain in her home, but low pay and other pressures are leaving even the most dedicated caregivers in a tough spot. Read More >

It's Not Selfish: 5 Self-Care Tips For The Caregiver

Parent Centers know that there's nothing quite like caring full-time for a person living with special needs. You see it in action every day, live it yourselves in your work with families and perhaps in your own family. How does any caregiver find time for positive, healthy self-care? This article suggests ways to fit moments of self-care into even the busiest everyday schedule. Take them to heart! Share them with the families you serve.  https://www.eparent.com/features-3/its-not-selfish-5-self-care-tips-for-the-caregiver/